Winter Storm Draco ends record snowless streaks across Midwest
Winter Storm Draco is powering up over the Upper Midwest, and is poised to bring a resounding end to the record-length snowless streaks a number of U.S. cities have notched this year. Blizzard warnings are posted over portions of Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and snowfall amounts of up to a foot are expected in some of the affected regions. While the heavy snow will create dangerous travel conditions, the .5" - 1.5" of melted water equivalent from the the storm will provide welcome moisture for drought-parched areas of the Midwest. Though much of the moisture will stay locked up as snow for the rest of the year, runoff from the storm may help keep Lake Michigan and Huron from setting an all-time record low for the month of December, and may also keep the Mississippi River at St. Louis above the -5' stage though the end of December. If the river falls below -5', barge traffic on the Mississippi may be forced to halt, costing billions of dollars. The Army Corps of Engineers is blasting away rocks on the river bottom south of St. Louis and releasing water from Carlyle Lake in Southern Illinois this week, in order to keep the Mississippi River high enough to allow barge traffic to negotiate the near-record low water levels. Several gauges on the Mississippi have set all-time record lows this year: the New Madrid, Missouri gauge on August 30, 2012 and the Tiptonville, Tennessee gauge on September 2. Records at the Tiptonville gauge go back to at least 1879.
Figure 1. Predicted precipitation totals fopr the 3-day period ending on December 22. Approximately 0.5 - 1.5" of melted water equivalent from Winter Storm Draco is expected over much of the drought-stricken Midwest. Image credit: NOAA/HPC.
Figure 2. Average water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are near their lowest December levels ever recorded, preliminary data from NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory indicate.
Record snowless streaks coming to end because of Winter Storm Draco
The U.S. has had its warmest and 12th driest year on record, according to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. It should be no surprise, then, that a number of major cities have set records for their longest period without snow. Most of these streaks have come to and end (or will do so in the next day or two) because of Winter Storm Draco:
MIlwaukee, Wisconsin's record streak without measurable snow ended December 18 with 0.5" of snow; the streak was 288 consecutive days, bookended by measurable snowfall on March 5 and Dec. 18. Milwaukee is likely to get an additional 4 - 6" of snow from Draco.
Omaha, Nebraska's record streak without measurable snow ended December 16 with 0.6" of snow; the streak was 295 consecutive days, bookended by measurable snowfall on Feb. 24 and Dec. 16. Omaha is likely to get 6 - 9" of total snow before the current storm winds down. Record latest first snow of the season: December 26, 1888.
Chicago, Illinois' new record snowless streak continues at 289 consecutive days as of Tuesday. The last measurable snow there was March 4. Previous record: 280 consecutive days between the measurable snowfalls of March 1, 1994 and December 5, 1994. Chicago has also broken its record for latest snowfall in the season, previously set on December 16, 1965. These streaks will likely end on Thursday, when 1 - 4" of snow are expected.
Rockford, Illinois' new record snowless streak continues at 289 consecutive days as of Tuesday, but this streak will likely end on Thursday, when 3 - 6" of snow are expected. The last measurable snow in Rockford was March 4. Previous record: 286 consecutive days between the measurable snowfalls of March 3, 1922 and December 13, 1922. Record latest first snow of the season: January 7, 1940.
Lincoln, Nebraska's new record snowless streak continues at 308 consecutive days as of Tuesday. This streak will likely end Wednesday or Thursday, as 6 -8" of snow are expected. The last measurable snow there was Feb. 13. Previous record: 295 consecutive days between the measurable snowfalls of Feb. 6 and Nov. 28, 2004. Record latest first snow of the season: December 31, 2006.
Syracuse, NY is often the snowiest major city in the contiguous U.S. This year, Syracuse has not yet had a 1" snowfall--the second latest such streak. The 3.0" that has fallen is over 28" below what Syracuse usually gets by this time of the season. The latest in the season that the first 1" snow has come to Syracuse occurred on December 22, 1998 (the previous warmest year on record in the U.S.) With the forecast calling for lake effect snows on the 22nd, Syracuse may just miss setting its mark for latest 1" snowfall of the season.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 — Blog Index
Event:
Winter Storm Warning
Alert:
...SNOW IN THE SIERRA FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...
.A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL REMAIN STATIONARY OFF THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. A STRONG JET MOVING
AROUND THE BASE OF THE LOW WILL PICK UP DEEP PACIFIC MOISTURE
BRINGING PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
NIGHT.
DANGEROUS WINTER CONDITIONS WILL IMPACT HOLIDAY TRAVEL AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES. ACROSS THE SIERRA...PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG
WINDS COULD LEAD TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND VERY LENGTHY TRAVEL
DELAYS ESPECIALLY BY SATURDAY. TRAVELERS NEED TO CONSIDER AN
ALTERNATE ROUTE TO AVOID THE SIERRA PASSES THIS WEEKEND.
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO
4 AM PST MONDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND WINDS REMAINS IN EFFECT
FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO 4 AM PST MONDAY.
* TIMING: PERIODS OF LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE SNOW FRIDAY
WILL INTENSIFY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WITH PERIODS OF MODERATE
TO HEAVY SNOW SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FRIDAY: 3 TO 6 INCHES EAST OF HIGHWAY 89...
WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES WEST OF HIGHWAY 89.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EARLY SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING: OVER 2
FEET ABOVE 7000 FEET WITH 1 TO 2 FEET IN THE TAHOE BASIN. THE
HIGHEST TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY
89 AND NEAR MOUNT ROSE WHERE 3 TO 5 FEET IS POSSIBLE.
* WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
RIDGE GUSTS UP TO 100 MPH.
* IMPACTS: PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL LEAD TO
WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND LENGTHY TRAVEL DELAYS...ESPECIALLY
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. TRAVELERS NEED TO CONSIDER A SECONDARY
ROUTE TO AVOID THE SIERRA PASSES THIS WEEKEND. BACK COUNTRY
ACTIVITIES ARE NOT ADVISED.
Instructions:
CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE RAPIDLY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY. TRAVEL IS DISCOURAGED OVER THE SIERRA PASSES THIS WEEKEND. CARRY EXTRA FOOD...WATER AND CLOTHES IN YOUR CAR IF YOU MUST TRAVEL. CHECK OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RENO FOR UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.
Y
It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!
Edit .. temp 28.8 degrees ..
Another Canadian ! we just received our first snowfall in southern new brunswick yesterday about 15 cm .
So glad to see that's still the North Pole :)
CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
903 PM EST THU DEC 20 2012
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF OSCEOLA
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
FOR OSCEOLA RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY THE COUNTY WIDE POWER OUTAGES...THE
AMERICAN RED CROSS IS PROVIDING SHELTER...FOOD...AND WATER
SERVICES IN OSCEOLA AND WEXFORD COUNTIES. FOR DETAILED INFORMATION
ON DIRECTIONS...LOCATIONS AND AVAILABLE SERVICES...RESIDENTS
SHOULD CONTACT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN BIG RAPIDS
AT 2 3 1 - 7 9 6 - 6 5 6 2.
Ouch, that's got to suck having a county wide power outage.
"Hudson Bay was the growth centre for the main ice sheet that covered northern North America during the last Ice Age. The whole region has very low year round average temperatures. (The average annual temperature for Churchill at 59°N is -5°C; by comparison Arkhangelsk at 64°N in a similar cold continental position in northern Russia has an average of 2°C.[16]) Water temperature peaks at 8°-9°C (46°-48°F) on the western side of the bay in late summer. It is largely frozen over from mid-December to mid-June when it usually clears from its eastern end westwards and southwards. A steady increase in regional temperatures over the last 100 years has been reflected in a lengthening of the ice-free period which was as short as four months in the late 17th century."
Wouldn't want to have been Hudson.
"On his fourth voyage to North America, Hudson worked his way around the west coast of Greenland and into the bay, mapping much of its eastern coast. The Discovery became trapped in the ice over the winter, and the crew survived onshore at the southern tip of James Bay. When the ice cleared in the spring Hudson wanted to explore the rest of the area, but the crew mutinied on June 22, 1611. They left Hudson and others adrift in a small boat. No one knows the fate of Hudson and the crewmembers stranded with him, but historians see no evidence that they survived for long afterwards."
Congrats WX Geek VA about getting accepted to Penn State. Am sure you worked really hard to get to that place! Happy news!
SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
925 PM EST THU DEC 20 2012
-SYNOPSIS FOR FLAGLER BEACH TO JUPITER INLET OUT TO 60 NM-COASTAL VOLUSIA-FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA-
BREVARD COUNTY LINE 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE-FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA-BREVARD COUNTY LINE OUT TO 20 NM-INDIAN RIVER-INLAND VOLUSIA-NORTHERN BREVARD-NORTHERN LAKE-ORANGE-OSCEOLA-SEMINOLE-SOUTHERN BREVARD-SOUTHERN LAKE-VOLUSIA-BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO SEBASTIAN INLET 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE-VOLUSIA-BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO SEBASTIAN INLET OUT TO 20 NM-
925 PM EST THU DEC 20 2012
.NOW...
THROUGH MIDNIGHT...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND MOVE ACROSS LAKE... NORTHWEST ORANGE...SEMINOLE AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES... GUSTY WINDS TO 45 MPH...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF STRONGER WINDS OF 50 TO 55 MPH WITH SOME OF THE STRONGEST STORMS AND EVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW ROTATING STORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE MAIN CONVECTIVE LINE. SPOTTERS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SELF ACTIVATE TONIGHT.
There are a few of us.
"Medium Range (Sunday through Thursday)...
The operative word for the medium range will be COLD. In fact, based on current projections we could mathematically lose our status of having the warmest year on record hear in Kansas City.
A lead shortwave trough will emerge from the Rockies on Sunday and may evolve into a lead disturbance that could bring some light snow across the eastern CWA Monday per the 12Z ECMWF. Of more significant is the short wavelength/high amplitude ridge that develops along the west coast in response. The is going to allow the downstream floodgates to open in terms of polar air having a direct route from the Canadian Rockies front range down into the central CONUS. Several reinforcing surface highs of 1030 to 1040mb+ in magnitude will become entrenched across the region, leading to a downward spiral in temperatures through the medium range. Given the now extensive snowpack north of the local area, little airmass modification is expected.
Ultimately, the degree of low level cold advection will determine where baroclinity sets up ahead of the much talked about Pacific disturbance that will pass by Christmas night. As discussed yesterday, there has been an extremely high degree of variability in where cyclogensis will occur and the 12Z models offer no hope, reverting back to a major storm digging well south of the region. Obviously if unmodified upstream polar air is allowed direct access to the region in advance on Monday, then it would seem reasonably to expect that a developing cyclone and its associated precipitation shield would consequently shift south as well. For continuity sake, have left the chance POPs over the southern CWA, but the overall forecast confidence after Monday is lower than normal."
Front just passed; wind shift, but no gust. Only got .18" rain when modeled for .6-.8". Grrr. Drought conditions worsen for central NC.
12/20/2012 1030 PM
3 miles ENE of Saint Peters, Pinellas County.
Marine tstm wind m40 mph, reported by ASOS.
The ASOS at Albert Whitted Airport reported a 40 mph gust
at 1030 PM EST.
12/20/2012 0930 PM
4 miles WNW of Clearwater, Pinellas County.
Marine tstm wind m44.00 mph, reported by mesonet.
Mesonet on Clearwater Beach near pier reported 44 mph
wind gust around 930 PM EST.
12/20/2012 1000 PM
4 miles WNW of Clearwater, Pinellas County.
Marine tstm wind m44.00 mph, reported by mesonet m39.00 mph, reported by mesonet.
Mesonet on Clearwater Beach near pier reported 39 mph
wind gust around 1000 PM EST.
12/20/2012 0930 PM
4 miles WNW of Clearwater, Pinellas County.
Marine tstm wind m44.00 mph, reported by mesonet.
Mesonet on Clearwater Beach near pier reported 44 mph
wind gust around 930 PM EST.
12/20/2012 0930 PM
4 miles WNW of Clearwater, Pinellas County.
Marine tstm wind m39.00 mph, reported by mesonet.
Mesonet on Clearwater Beach near pier reported 39 mph
wind gust around 930 PM EST.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1023 PM EST THU DEC 20 2012
.UPDATE...
SO FAR, THE FORECAST IS GOING ALONG AS PLANNED. SOME MINOR
TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS HAVE BEEN SEEN, BUT NOTHING DRAMATIC,
MOSTLY WITHIN A COUPLE OF DEGREES EACH HOUR. THE STRONG COLD
FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED, IS STILL MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL FLORIDA
AT THIS TIME. WHILE RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND
POSSIBLY HEAVY SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT, MODELS ARE
SHOWING THIS WILL PUSH OFF TO THE EAST AND ONLY SOME LIGHT TO
MODERATE SCATTERED SHOWERS SHOULD AFFECT THE CWA, AND THEN, MAINLY
ALONG THE NORTHERN FRINGE. ALSO, EVEN THOUGH NO CHANGES TO THE
LOWS SATURDAY HAVE BEEN MADE AT THIS TIME, MODEL GUIDANCE IS
CONTINUING TO TREND A LITTLE COLDER WITH EACH RUN. FORECAST LOWS
WILL LIKELY NEED ADJUSTMENT WITH THE MAIN 00Z MODEL RUNS.
:D
The cold front responsible for this ("Draco" by TWC) produced damaging winds in my county around 7 AM this morning. Based on my experiences as a weather observer, I would estimate gusts were at or over the severe threshold, which begins at 58 mph (50 kt). I was a wee bit surprised I never lost power.
Kinda enjoyed it though. :D
http://www.livescience.com/25709-mealworms-sustai nable-meat-alternative.html
?
:)
As if it ever gets cold in Belize, lol.
Standard vernacular. :P
too lazy to explain "Parish" to the rest of the world.
don't blame ya'.
Lol.
"Bugging out" to wunderground for the next day
Pretty much.
There's gold in them there Ice Pilots!
- Seven new tropical storms (3 of which became hurricanes - 1 was a January hurricane)
- The Great Hurricane of 1938 was retained as a Category 3, but its landfall intensity was upped to 105 knots (120 mph) from 85 knots (100 mph).
Source
Had to tell them to keep holding their breath until 6:12am EST. :D
Viewing: 951 - 988
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 — Blog Index